Japan's cops swear in Microsoft as deputy dawg

MICROSOFT has long been accused of releasing software knowing it to be faulty, presumably on the basis that getting products to the market is more important than fixing any bugs first.

Now, if proof of that is needed, look no further than Japan's National Police Agency where the Vole has entered into a pact to help the cops combat cyber crime.

Under the agreement Microsoft will provide the agency with confidential data on the weaknesses of certain software when it comes to viruses, hacking and other sorts of attacks - before the faults becomes known or are officially disclosed to geeks in general.

As part of the pact the two organisations will set up a hotline to keep each other updated, in an initiative described as the first of its kind between a US software house and the Japanese authorities.

The only drawback to the idea so far is that it will also need the cooperation of Microsoft business customers in Japan whose IT systems have already been hacked or violated.

Many, it's suspected, could prove innately coy about how their business IT systems have proved vulnerable or damaged, if only because - once leaked to the cops and Microsoft - such sensitive data might become known to rivals and other hackers.

Surely not.. µ

L'INQ
Japan Times